Zeeman to close dozens of stores

Dutch textile discounter Zeeman is going to close several dozens of stores in the Netherlands over the coming years. Growth will therefore have to come from e-commerce and new stores abroad, especially in Southern Europe.

Online competition

According to CEO Erik-Jan Mares, the number of Dutch Zeeman stores will fall from 505 to 430 or 440 in the coming years, local news website RTL-Z writes. Over the past five years, Zeeman has already closed 7 % of its Dutch stores. The discounter has especially moved away from places with less than 7500 inhabitants, because people are shopping more online and in the bigger cities.

Mares explains that Zeeman in the Netherlands is still doing well, but that it is important to know when it is time to close down poorly performing stores. At the same time, he does not rule out the possibility of a new shop being built here or there – preferably a larger store.

Online shop expansion

However, growth in the Netherlands must come primarily from online activities. Zeeman has had an online shop in the Netherlands and Belgium for several years now and the company wants to expand its online product range.

There also is still plenty of room for growth abroad, particularly in southern Europe. Zeeman currently has 47 stores in Spain and expects to be able to open more than 200 in the future. The company is also looking to other countries such as Italy, Portugal and Greece, although specific expansion plans in relation to these countries are not yet known.